We are so fortunate to live in a country where we have so many educational programs to choose from for our children. However fortunate we are there’s no denying that so many programs can cause our heads to spin. As a parent of three grown boys, a home-school mom, charter ایران آموزشگاه founder and now the CEO of a Colorado tutoring center, I’d like to offer some guidelines that may help make this process a little easier for you.
By applying these four components to your selection process you will be able to come to a decision that is not only best for your child but will ensure educational stability which is important for student achievement. I know from personal experience, kids do not like to move from school to school as it puts too much strain on their social experience.
You will find that all schools, even though they are supposed to be created equal, are not. Should you make a change, you may find the new school is teaching a new type of math that differs from your old school. This could put your child behind right when they arrive hindering your child’s progress and hurting their overall educational experience. Before you do anything, visit the school.
Some schools require an appointment so you might want to call ahead and check. I also recommend visiting the classrooms. It’s a red flag if a school won’t let you observe a classroom. When a school doesn’t require an appointment and will let you observe a classroom that’s a real plus in my book.
You may not be aware of all the school choices you have available to you. I know from speaking with many or our tutoring families they are surprised to learn about the many options they have when choosing a school for their child.
So let’s go over the main ones and keep in mind the area where you live may have other choices so visit your state’s Department of Education website to learn all about the different programs in your area. Listed below is a breakdown of school options using pros and cons. You can add your own pros and cons so it fits your personal needs.
Public Schools – I am listing items that are generally offered at public schools. There will be some differences depending on your area. Of course, you may see a con that to you is a pro so it’s just a matter of opinion. If it fits with your philosophy and your family’s needs then that’s all that matters.
Having a support staff that can assist teachers in the classrooms is definitely a part of having an effective school. Whether the classroom has children with special needs or not, an EA being present definitely makes a difference in the availability of attention that students can receive during their learning.
There are often extremely wide learning ranges in classrooms; with Differentiated Instruction and the Adaptive Dimension becoming more present in classrooms, having another teacher present can only benefit a classroom. Students on the higher end can have their learning needs met, students who are “middle of the road”.
Can work with confidence, and students with learning disabilities or alternative learning styles can have the support of another teacher in the classroom, working at a pace that allows them to learn, and in turn can feel good about their abilities.
The school that I worked in as an intern had many more strengths than weaknesses in being an effective school. My school addressed its growing Aboriginal student population by creating goals school-wide for including Aboriginal content in their lessons.
The staff – mostly grade alike as it was a Pre K-3 school – was definitely collegial as they met often for committees, acted with kindness and professionalism with each other, and were very generous with each other in exchanging resources, time, and materials to better each others’ teaching.
Relationships between the administration and staff were quite friendly and there wasn’t much of an authoritarian atmosphere present at all. The school was student centred; this was evident with the many and varied event and learning committees that addressed student needs and recreational interests, while also involving their parents and family members in making our school a comfortable place for everyone involved,
Not just the students. Staff always seemed eager to volunteer for supervisory duties and school events and extra-curricular activities were always available for each grade level. Professional development was often encouraged (expected) and administration was quite accepting of any PD that teachers wanted to attend independently; new and refreshing ideas were always welcome.